Mustang Bass PU Question, polarity related.

[Telemachos]

Got this nice Mustang Bass in the house. My friend is fed up from the tone guys' comments during recordings. It seems that they're never satisfied w. the Mustang's output. Check out this strange transition bar between the magnets. Since both ends are south this would not be a very smart design, isn't it? I'm not blaming it to be responsible for the bass being low in output. It's just what those wimpsy coilies are at. I just wanted to inspect things and was surprised to see this. Not many Mustangs cross my way. What you thinx?

[David Schwab]

That's the first time I saw that. What do you mean "both ends are south"? You mean both bobbins are south? Of course both magnets in each coil will be the same polarity.

It's actually a smart design, since you won't have drop outs when you bend the string. Makes up for the multiple magnets in the P bass pickup.

I like the way Mustang basses sound. I don't understand why there would be a problem recording a bass if the pickups were a little underpowered. Unless they only know how to get a good tone with a P bass. That's not the bass' fault, that's the engineer's fault.

What year is that bass? You can get replacement Mustang pickups. If that's a vintage bass I wouldn't alter those pickups.

http://www.bestbassgear.com/nordstrand-pickups.htm

[Telemachos]

.....You mean both bobbins are south? Of course both magnets in each coil will be the same polarity.

Yes, that's what I was trying to say and what made me think. Made me think wrong.......for some reason I had the strat 3 X 3 split coil thread in my head where the two outer magnets of the bobbins would zero out as they are north and south.
Now this Mustang bar seems to make sense. You're right.

I like the way Mustang basses sound. I don't understand why there would be a problem recording a bass if the pickups were a little underpowered. Unless they only know how to get a good tone with a P bass. That's not the bass' fault, that's the engineer's fault.

That's what I told her. Absolutely second that. You know, send a girl to a garage and they will tell her some story that fits their pocket. Not sure if she even got it right. Anyway, it seems that she would prefer a little more muscle.

.....What year is that bass?

Looks like it says 1965, not sure if my old eyes can see it right.

.....You can get replacement Mustang pickups.

Thanx for the link. BTW, here's what makes me wonder again. Thought that J bass guitars are wound w. PE,....hm.

Quote;....
"NJ4
This is a vintage single coil J style pickup made with 60's era correct Heavy Formar wire and Alnico V magnets./

.....If that's a vintage bass I wouldn't alter those pickups.

Ooooh, definitely not. I'm probably gonna build her s.th. new. Any source for those 1 " Magnets?

[jonson]

Odd one as not seen one of those. Plate serial no gives it mid 66 to mid 67 so the pickup could well be 65. No patent for that and the offsets were really covered by the precision pat no 2976755 and the 6 string version of pat no 3177283. The other version of this pickup of which this pic is a 69 had 3 poles per half.

[Telemachos]

That's interesting.

[David Schwab]

Thanx for the link. BTW, here's what makes me wonder again. Thought that J bass guitars are wound w. PE,....hm.

Quote;....
"NJ4
This is a vintage single coil J style pickup made with 60's era correct Heavy Formar wire and Alnico V magnets./

Yep. We just had a discussion about this in another thread. Jazz basses were never heavy Formvar, and neither were most of the Fender pickups. Another of the recent "vintage" style Jazz pickups on the market are wound with 43 gauge wire, which also has nothing to do with vintage Fender pickups, unless you are talking about a tele neck pickup.

[David Schwab]

Odd one as not seen one of those.

It's a new one on me too! Must be something new they were trying out?

Reminds me of the time a guy brought in a Musicman Stingray bass. He said it was a prototype. The pickup did not have exposed poles, and when I loosened the screws and looked at the bottom of it, it had the double alnico poles like on a Jazz bass! So I guess Leo liked to tinker, and sometimes those things made it out of the shop.

[jonson]

I've seen a couple of mustang basses over the years fitted with Fender wide range style buckers alla Tele bass but unlike the guitar version these were not cunif poles but bar magnet between pole screws as in standard bucker. Bought out as a studant bass with it's 30 inch scale it's real competition was the gibbo ebo which a lot of guys wanting bottom end went for as the fender pick-ups were weak compared to a mud bucker.